Ice Shelf About the Size of Los Angeles Collapses in Antarctica
A map of the Conger Ice Shelf that collapsed in Antarctica.
Photographer: U.S. National Ice Center
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A massive ice shelf collapsed in Antarctica, satellite imagery shows, following record high temperatures in the region.
The Conger ice shelf, now identified as iceberg C-38, broke off in the Wilkes Land region, the U.S. National Ice Center said on March 17, after temperatures hit a record high of 11 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 11.8 Celsius) at Concordia station, more than 40 degrees Celsius above normal. It is believed to have been about 1,200 square kilometers (496 square miles), around the size of Los Angeles, and hit a tipping point during a midmonth heatwave and atmospheric river, NASA scientist Catherine Colello Walker tweeted.